With Father’s Day upon us, many last-minute gift givers are likely grappling with an inescapable reality — dads are not the easiest people to buy for.

But Americans are still expected to spend $12.7 billion on Father’s Day gifts this year, an increase over last year’s $12.5 billion spending spree.

The National Retail Federation’s 2015 Father’s Day Spending Survey also predicts that the average person will spend $115.57 this year, up from last year’s average of $113.80.

“After a less than stellar first half of the year, retailers are ready to welcome the warm weather and the millions of shoppers that come along with it,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

Spending on everything from patio accessories and pool gear to sporting goods and other seasonal merchandise could be the “positive steppingstone” retailers need heading into the second half of the year, Shay said.

The NRF survey shows that 36.4 percent of consumers planned to do their Father’s Day shopping at department stores. An additional 29.2 percent are shopping online, 25.2 percent have turned to discount stores and 16.9 percent are shopping at small businesses.

The nation’s mega retailers jumped into the fray early this month.

Wal-Mart has been promoting a variety of Father’s Day gifts, including Father’s Day T-shirts, a “Love You Dad” photo mouse pad for $9.99 and a Philips Norelco razor, trimmer and body groomer for $59.95.

Big 5 Sporting Goods is also offering a slew of discounted merchandise for dad, ranging from a Lifetime Lotus 8-foot kayak for $199 (regularly priced at $229.99) to a Ruger American bolt-action rifle. The gun regularly sells for $629.99 but is on sale for $569.99.

“We’ve had people come in to buy fishing gear and camping supplies,” Jesenlyn Alvarado, a sales clerk at Big 5’s Valencia store, said last week. “We also sell guns and ammo. That kind of stuff usually goes out the day of Father’s Day.”

Last-minute shopping

Southland malls and retail centers are also in on the action.

“I’ve seen a great deal of Father’s Day promotions here,” said Kyra Blackwell, director of marketing and business development at the Ontario Mills mall. “I’ve seen promotions going on at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Perry Ellis.”

With 1.5 million square feet of retail space and more than 200 stores, Ontario Mills is a magnet for Father’s Day shoppers.

“The bulk of our Father’s Day traffic comes from last-minute shoppers,” Blackwell said. “I think that tells a lot about the nature of shoppers. It’s the same thing with Mother’s Day.”

Guitar Center, which operates stores throughout Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire, is firmly tapped into gift-giving for baby boomer dads who once played in bands and are still musically active.

“The baby boomer crowd is squarely in the wheelhouse of our core customer base,” said Michael Amkreutz, the company’s executive director of merchandising, marketing and e-commerce. “Lots of guys who shop at Guitar Center grew up on Led Zeppelin or maybe country music. Father’s Day is a big promotion for us.”

Amkreutz said the store is capitalizing on the 100th anniversary of the late Les Paul, who designed the iconic Les Paul guitar that so many rockers use today.

“We have a package collection of Father’s Day-focused gifts based on previous years’ purchases,” he said. “There are savings of up to 35 percent.”

Denise Connolly’s gift to her father is far more personal.

“We took my dad to Balboa Island about a week ago and so I got him a little piece of artwork from there,” the 51-year-old Pasadena resident said. “He’s actually very easy to buy for. He likes fishing gear, tools and shirts with lots of pockets.”

This year’s $12.7 billion spending blitz for Father’s Day is nothing to sneeze at. But in the scheme of things, it ranks low on the totem pole.

The nation’s biggest holiday spending occurs during the winter months, which includes Christmas, Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Spending during that period topped $616 billion last year, according to the NRF. That was followed by back-to-school/college spending ($74.9 billion). Mother’s Day spending this year hit $21.2 billion, followed by Valentine’s Day ($18.9 billion), Easter ($16.4 billion) and Super Bowl spending ($14.3 billion).

Father’s Day is next, followed by Halloween, which generated $7.4 billion last year, and St. Patrick’s Day, which fueled $4.6 billion in spending this year.

Figures released earlier this month from the Commerce Department show that consumers held back from spending more in April, opting instead to funnel more gains into savings. Consumer spending grew by just 1.8 percent during the first quarter after a more robust gain of 4.4 percent during the fourth quarter of 2014.

This story has been updated from an earlier version to correct the spelling of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Kevin Smith handles business news and editing for the Southern California News Group, which includes 11 newspapers, websites and social media channels. He covers everything from employment, technology and housing to retail, corporate mergers and business-based apps. Kevin often writes stories that highlight the local impact of trends occurring nationwide. And the focus is always to shed light on why those issues matter to readers in Southern California.